SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The U.S. and South Korean militaries launched eight ballistic missiles at sea on Monday in conjunction with North Korea’s missile demonstration the previous day, continuing a provocative series of weapons demonstrations.
South Korea’s joint chief of staff said the Allied weapons training included eight tactical missiles – one American and seven South Korean – firing into South Korean waters 10 minutes after safety reports in the air and navy. American forces in Korea.
The missile launch is intended to demonstrate the ability to respond quickly and accurately to North Korean attacks, the South Korean military said.
The Southern Army on Sunday recorded eight short-range missiles launched by North Korea within 35 minutes from at least four different locations, including the west and east coasts and two inland areas north and near the capital. , Pyongyang. One day record for country ballistics throws.
Only 2022 will be the 18th round of North Korea’s missile test, a series that includes the country’s first ICBM launch in nearly five years. South Korean and U.S. officials also said North Korea was preparing for its first nuclear test Since September 2017, as leader Kim Jong Un pushed borders aimed at strengthening the North’s status as a nuclear power plant. state and dealing with economic concessions and safety from a position of strength.
U.S. and South Korean troops conducted a similar fire drill after North Korea’s previous ballistic launch on May 25, which the South Korean military said included an ICBM that flew on a medium-range trajectory and two short- range of weapons. These trials came when Biden completed a trip to South Korea and Japan where he reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to protect both allies.
In a speech on the country’s Remembrance Day on Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yol said his government would use “key and practical security capabilities” to counter the growing threat of weapons. North Korea’s nuclear and missile.
“The level of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs has risen to the point of threatening not only the Korean peninsula, but also Northeast Asia and world peace,” Yoon said at the cemetery. The Seoul national team, and added that his government “will respond strongly..” In any kind of provocation from North Korea ”.
June, a Conservative, who took office in May, vowed to strengthen the South’s defense with its alliance with the United States. Its goals include strengthening missile strike and crushing capabilities and resuming large-scale military exercises with the United States, which has been suspended or restrained in recent years to establish diplomacy with Pyongyang or because of COVID-19.
Yoon’s predecessor Moon Jae-in, who has pledged his five-year relationship with Korea, has refrained from conducting missile counter exercises after North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing in 2019 since its diplomacy with the United states collapsed. .
North Korean state media has not yet commented on the launch on Sunday. They come after U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan You completed a three-day naval exercise South Korea on Saturday in the Philippine Sea seems to be the first joint exercise involving a carrier since November 2017 while the countries is acting to resume defense exercises amid threats from North Korea.
North Korea has long condemned joint military exercises as evidence of aggression and often opposes its own missile exercises, including short-range launches in 2016 and 2017, that mimic nuclear strikes on ports. of South Korea and U.S. military bases in Japan.
Hours after North Korea’s launch, Japan and the United States conducted joint ballistic missile exercises aimed at demonstrating their “rapid response capability” and “firm resolution” against the threat, Japan’s Defense Ministry said. .
The US has promised to impose additional international sanctions If North Korea conducts a nuclear test, but the prospect of significant new sanctions measures is shrouded in the division of permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Russia and China vetoed a US-backed resolution imposing additional sanctions on North Korea for recent ballistic missile tests on May 25 and urged Washington to focus on resuming talks with Pyongyang. .
These talks have stalled since 2019, due to disagreements over the trade-off of harmful U.S. sanctions imposed on disarmament measures in the North.
Even when you face tough challenges at home, including the economic collapse and other COVID-19 explosions Kim has not shown willingness to fully give up the arsenal, which she considers the strongest guarantee of safety.
Experts said his government rejected the Biden administration’s proposals for endless talks and clearly intended to turn the dormant denuclearization talks into a bilateral arms reduction process.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.